fearnot
Living With Pain
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Post by fearnot on May 12, 2024 20:24:01 GMT -5
Thank you Cindy!!!
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on May 13, 2024 18:22:18 GMT -5
'For I will protect this city
to save it
for My own sake,
and for My servant David's sake.'"
Isaiah 37:35
Sennacherib had arrogantly,
disrespected and blasphemed God,
suggesting ( among other things)
God did not keep His Word!
So now God corrects and vindicates Himself,
concerning, that wicked thought.
However, there are times when believers today,
listen briefly, to the enemy, Satan,
telling us, God is not keeping His promises.
We can be sure, this is a lie!
It is true, that sometimes, God may 'delay',
but only for a season, and for a reason...
which He does not have to tell us why.
But we can also know, it will ultimately be for our good,
and His glory....
and He always keeps His promises!
( Just as He has done in the past and will do in the future for David).
Then the angel of the LORD
went out and struck 185,000
in the camp of the Assyrians;
and when the rest got up early in the morning,
behold, all of the 185,000 were dead.
Isaiah 37:36
It only took ONE to kill 185,000!!!
So Sennacherib the king of Assyria departed
and returned home and lived in Nineveh.
Isaiah 37:37
This tyrant left,
not in victory, but in disgrace,
to his home in Nineveh.
He went from arrogance to shame...
and that downward spiral continued,
even as to how he died.
Then it came about, as he was worshiping
in the house of Nisroch his god,
that his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer
killed him with the sword;
and they escaped to the land of Ararat.
And his son Esarhaddon became king in his place.
Isaiah 37:38
John Macarthur says this was some 20 years later.
Scripture does not tell us why his two sons killed him,
but it certainly 'seems' like,
they did not love, respect and honor him.
Also, it doesn't seem that,
those two sons killed him,
to take his throne.
But to add, an additional insult,
it was while he was 'worshipping'
his false ineffective and impotent non 'god' idol.
The fact that these two sons escaped,
adds to the case, they did not do it,
with the hope or expectation,
of succeeding to the crown...
And as the scripture says,
a third son, was the one who did gain the crown.
This history is rather,
the sad, bleak, reality,
of the end of many tyrants,
even to our day.
Done for Today
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on May 15, 2024 8:43:50 GMT -5
In those days
Hezekiah became mortally ill.
And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz,
came to him and said to him,
"This is what the LORD says:
'Set your house in order,
for you are going to die and not live.'"
Isaiah 38:1
In those days, does not mean:
after the Assyrian invasion,
but rather.....
before it.
In those days, is not a 'fixed' date.
What God tells Hezekiah, sounds
absolutely final!!!
Thus Hezekiah is told to make his final will,
things like,
who will succeed him to the throne and crown etc.
But God is merciful!
We ought always to remember that,
and we can pray!
God is not obligated to say, yes, to our prayers.
God is not a genii in a bottle,
bound to do our every wish....
But He can, if He chooses.
Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall
and prayed to the LORD,
Isaiah 38:2
Hezekiah, knew that God would listen to our prayers.
Hezekiah knew, there was nothing he could do,
only God could..... if God chose to.
This shows the faith of Hezekiah.
Turning his face to the wall,
could have been, for several reasons.
Perhaps, the culture did not respect
men in authority, to be emotional,
have tears, etc.
But also, Hezekiah,
may have wanted some privacy,
in speaking to God, in pouring out his heart.
It was not a corporate prayer,
as in a temple or church...
or even with several of the people,
staff etc. that may have been milling about.
But here is an example for us,
even IF we are absolutely going to die,
and we know it...
It should not stop our relationship with the Lord,
nor our communication with Him, in prayers.
“Though He slay me,
I will hope in Him.
Nevertheless I will argue my ways before Him.
Job 13:15
And what did Hezekiah pray?
and said, "Please, LORD,
just remember
how I have walked before You
wholeheartedly and in truth,
and have done what is good in Your sight."
And Hezekiah wept profusely.
Isaiah 38:3
For one thing,
Hezekiah asks for an extension to his life,
in order to continue to please the Lord,
something he could not do, if he was dead.
Hezekiah's life had been one of,
sincerely wanting to please God,
and not live selfishly for his own pleasures.
This was not Hezekiah complaining,
that because he had been fully focused on God,
that God was somehow punishing him.
I think we can be sure,
Hezekiah's tears,
were not for that reason.
I am not sure,
but perhaps, he did not have an heir yet?
Even so,
I think the strongest believer,
may have a moment or time,
of fear and grief of
facing death.
Done for Today.
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Post by Cindy on May 16, 2024 9:54:41 GMT -5
Those are great Barbara, thank you! I'm always amazed at how people talk about angels today, like they're sweet, beautiful ladies that wouldn't hurt a fly. But the first thing an angel often has to say to a human who sees him is to tell them not to be afraid! Scripture shows that they take on bodies so we can see them and those bodies are generally much larger than any human ever was, not to mention much stronger looking! They are obvious frightening to see or they wouldn't have to constantly tell us to "fear not!" Like you pointed out, it only took 1 angel to kill 185,000 men and that angel did that in a matter or minutes! So they are very powerful! They don't speak to whatever person they want to, or to anyone "asking" to speak to them; they only speak to those the Lord tells them to, and never do anything other than what God tells them to do. The things newagers say about them are crazy and I'm afraid they're going to find that out during the tribulation.
In Rev 5:11 we're told there are so many angels that they can't be counted! It doesn't include the demons who were once angels before they rebelled along with Satan. In Rev 9:1–3 we're shown a picture of the really super bad demons that have been bound and there are so many of them that they too can't be counted. That tells us that not all the demons are here on the earth now, as a huge number are locked up. However we also know that there are a huge number on the earth as well. All this is mind boggling to me! I can't even wrap my mind around so many good angels they can't be counted and so many bad ones they can't be counted!
I love reading about Hezekiah. I think we can determine what he was praying about by reading some more. Actually Hezekiah tells us himself in what he writes in Isaiah 38:10-20. Like you said again though, these verses represent what many of us most likely have thought in similar circumstances. I'm not going to say any more though as this is your study, so I'll let you show us what he was thinking about. 
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on May 16, 2024 11:48:16 GMT -5
Awwww Thank you Cindy!
You can chime in (my study haha)
any time you want.....
and you don't even have to shorten your words
( inside joke yes?
me.... the wordy verbose chatterbox!)
Really,
feel completely free,
to add as much as you feel,
or as you are lead to!!!
It is always interesting,
informative,
eye opening etc.!
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Post by oliverwithatwist on May 16, 2024 16:57:11 GMT -5
Hezekiah is one of my favorites, too. Also, his son Manasseh is one of my favorites. He reigned 55 years and was a/the most evil king, but near the end he was saved! That tells me to never give up on someone to come to salvation no matter how impossible it may seem.
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Post by Cindy on May 17, 2024 10:38:41 GMT -5
Hezekiah is one of my favorites, too. Also, his son Manasseh is one of my favorites. He reigned 55 years and was a/the most evil king, but near the end he was saved! That tells me to never give up on someone to come to salvation no matter how impossible it may seem. |
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on May 17, 2024 12:43:55 GMT -5
Awwwww!
That is so wonderful Cindy!!
I love to hear stories like that!
it shows another aspect of
how Great of God is!
And
How Loving!!!
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on May 17, 2024 13:52:40 GMT -5
Then the word of the LORD came to Isaiah,
saying,
Isaiah 38:4
So Isaiah had departed after giving his
stinging words to Hezekiah...
And thus Hezekiah prayed to God...
It is not certain how long an interval passed,
but to me, it seems like the answer to Hezekiah's prayer,
was fairly quick.
I find this an uplifting truth.
Yes, God can take years, even decades,
before one's prayer is answered.
In fact, sometimes a person may pray,
and die.....before their prayer is answered....
On the other hand, God can also,
(IF He so chooses...)
answer a prayer, almost immediately!
In my own life,
it has been both very very short,
and still waiting!
( and all sorts of time in between),
and perhaps,
for all I know,
some may not be answered until I die,
or I am raptured.
So speaking of:
immediate,
encouraging,
and positive answers to prayer:
"Go and say to Hezekiah,
'This is what the LORD, the God of your father David says:
"I have heard your prayer,
I have seen your tears;
behold, I will add fifteen years to your life.
Isaiah 38:5
What an encouragement for us to pray!
God says: He has heard Hezekiah's prayers.
I know tho, many people have turned from God,
in total anger,
because they had prayed for a loved one to live...
but the loved one died!
If that happens, we can be sure,
God has a reason,
for His answer to our prayer
being a: NO!
It could be, God is shortening the pain of the loved one....
be it physical or mental etc.
Or perhaps, if our loved one lived longer,
something much worse would happen.
We just don't know, all the many many possibilities....
but God does!
However, in the case,
God not only grants Hezekiah's request
for an extension of his life,
but he even tells Hezekiah how long
the extension will be!!
This is an example of:
God's extraordinary love, grace, mercy and kindness.
Hezekiah's tears are also noted by God!
That to me, is also very very precious!
Done for Today
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Post by Cindy on May 18, 2024 10:56:34 GMT -5
I was just thinking about how some people decide that they don't like God and won't believe in Him because they didn't heal their grandma when they prayed and asked Him to when they were a kid. (Yeah, I had someone tell me that!) I have to really watch myself so I don't roll my eyes when I hear something like that.
First, we want our loved one to stay here with us, healed or not, is really very selfish. I've told my kids and grand kids that I don't want them to every say something like that about me. Why in the world would you want me to stay on this earth with all it's sin, pain, and misery, instead of being with the Lord I love in Heaven where there is no pain and life is so fantastic that it's literally beyond our imaginations! How cruel it would be to want me to come back here. (I sometimes wonder if that's why Jesus was crying just before He ordered Lazarus to return to his earthly body.)
Second, why would you want a God that you can order around? I wouldn't want a God like that. For one thing I know I'm not always right, so I'd be telling Him to do things that were wrong. Having a "God" like that would actually make you the god, not Him!
I desperately wanted my son to live, but I knew he wanted to leave this world. I knew he had been in a lot of pain for a long time and was ready to be free of it. How could I say that I loved my son, and yet ask him to continue to be so sick and in such pain all the time? What kind of person would that make me? I couldn't do that, so I told him it was OK to go. God is a loving father, and always does what is best for us. Therefore I knew that the death of my sons physical body was what was best for him. The reason people get angry at God when He doesn't give them what they want is because they think they're smarter than God and know better than He does.
God loves us! He loves us so much He was willing to be tortured and die for us! He knows what He is doing. “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.” (Psalm 116:15) I remember when my son was born. How thrilled I was to see him and hold him. When his physical body died, he instantly opened his eyes in Heaven and saw the face of His Lord. And Jesus was excited to welcome him home at last! What a glorious time that must have been!
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on May 20, 2024 8:54:32 GMT -5
That was beautiful Cindy!!!
All of it!!!
Of course, you are exactly right on all counts!
I agree that wanting someone to stay, is cruel to them.
I think, sometimes, we have made an idol of them.
We go to them, for knowledge, comfort, peace etc.
and think if they leave us,
we will be bereft and alone with no help....
Meaning, we have put them in the place of God,
and even IF we know God is there,
sometimes the thought is,
He (God) cannot put His arms around us,
speak audibly to us, etc.
But God does speak to us, in His Word, the Bible,
and He can, and does comfort us,
and bring us peace.
Plus soon, we will see Him face to face,
and He WILL hug us, and wipe away our tears.
Not only that, but our loved one will be there,
and it won't be that long, being apart
.
It will be something like they went on a trip,
but the mail ( and e-mail) doesn't work in the country/kingdom they went to.
However, they are better than they ever were,
and we will see them soon enough.
We will also, go to that kingdom in time.
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on May 20, 2024 9:49:19 GMT -5
"And I will save you
and this city
from the hand of the king of Assyria;
and I will protect this city."'
Isaiah 38:6
This could also be another reason,
God saved Hezekiah's life:
For Hezekiah to be used by God,
to win the 'war' from the Assyrians.
Also, Hezekiah, through his sickness,
learned that God used Hezekiah's illness,
in order that,
Hezekiah would see God's healing grace and power,
which in turn, strengthened Hezekiah's faith.
In fact, Hezekiah,
would see that it all was in God's hands...
his health, protection of the city, etc.
However, I think, in the long run,
tho God, did extend Hezekiah's life,
by answering his prayer,
and used some of it for good,
and for God glory....
It could also be,
that what God said first,
really was the best....
That the original time for Hezekiah to die, was actually,
what would have been, the best time for Hezekiah to die.
We will see ( later on in scripture),
that some, not so good, things, are coming in the future,
perhaps.....
as a result of the extension of Hezekiah's life?
Personally, I might be a bit scared of the process,
of dying
( like if there is a lot of pain to be involved etc.)
But to go and be with the Lord....
why would I want to delay that???
Sure, I would rather be raptured
( and who knows, the way things are going in the world....)
But no matter,
to go and be with Jesus,
or
have an extra 15 years?
( no thanks, for an extension, beyond what God has ordained for me....
I can't imagine how much worse the world will be in 15 years!!!)
"And this shall be the sign to you from the LORD,
that the LORD will perform this word that He has spoken:
Isaiah 38:7
It seems Hezekiah also requested a sign,
as 'proof', that God would do as He had said.
It seems to suggest that Hezekiah was still struggling some
with a weak faith, and thus God is going to grant him the sign.
Still, it seems a bit disrespectful to me.
On the other hand, I do 'get' ( understand)
the weakness of faith, and asking for help.
So as the saying goes:
6 of one, and 1/2 a dozen of the other.
But, I do NOT think this is an example,
for every believer,
to therefore, start asking God for signs!
"Behold, I will make the shadow on the stairway,
which has gone down with the sun on the stairway of Ahaz,
go back ten steps."
So the sun's shadow went back ten steps
on the stairway on which it had gone down.
Isaiah 38:8
This is an interesting sign,
in many ways.
God grants extra time for Hezekiah to live,
and now the 'sign' has to do with time also.
Another interesting thing is,
the way time was measured or marked, in those days.
But of course, this was a miracle!
Clearly, unbelievers would find this another reason to scoff.
They would ridicule the idea that time could be changed.
They would claim that time,
does not go backwards or forward HA!
But actually, they would be wrong!
If one studies Einstein's physics:
the faster one goes, time does slow down.
Time is not set in cement.
Nevertheless, God created 'time'
therefore, to shorten or lengthen the amount of time,
would not be difficult for God!
God is eternal, and is outside of time.
He created time, for mankind, as they live on earth.
Done for Today
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on May 23, 2024 10:23:21 GMT -5
This is a writing of Hezekiah king of Judah
after his illness and recovery:
Isaiah 38:9
Having been healed by God, Hezekiah records his feelings of helplessness,
discouragement, and his gratitude and thankfulness to God.
I said, "In the middle of my life
I am to enter the gates of Sheol;
I have been deprived of the rest of my years."
Isaiah 38:10
The "I said" is more like his musing in his mind and heart.
And the middle of his years, suggests he was about 30 or 40 years old.
Hezekiah seems to either feel,
he perhaps has angered God,
and thus wishes to live longer,
or perhaps,
he is not well versed in the fact,
that believers will have an endless joy filled life after death?
I said, "I will not see the LORD,
The LORD in the land of the living;
I will no longer look on mankind
among the inhabitants of the world.
Isaiah 38:11
In any case Hezekiah feared his death,
would sever his fellowship with the Lord,
and of course family and friends etc.
"Like a shepherd's tent
my dwelling is pulled up and removed from me;
As a weaver I rolled up my life.
He cuts me off from the loom;
From day until night You make an end of me.
Isaiah 38:12
Hezekiah seems to see death as removing him,
from one dwelling place to another place.
The idea also is how quickly it can happen.
However, Hezekiah, puts the blame for this
on himself when he stated that he,
As a weaver rolled up his life.
Thus he is not blaming God.
"I composed my soul until morning.
Like a lion—so He breaks all my bones,
From day until night You make an end of me.
Isaiah 38:13
This is talking about Hezekiah's suffering from his illness,
and being close to death.
Also, God is both love and mercy,
and yet, God also metes and dispenses out chastisements,
strong enough to humble proud rebellious hearts.
Done for Today
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Post by Cindy on May 23, 2024 12:13:03 GMT -5
Excellent as always Barbara! I agree with what you said about making a person into an idol, but I also think we often make this life the idol. It might be "this life" of the person who died, or this life of ours. Still another way it could be is that we may have made this world an idol. In some cases the idol could even be more than one of those things.
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on May 23, 2024 12:33:23 GMT -5
I agree with you, as always Cindy!!!! :):)
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on May 27, 2024 9:07:25 GMT -5
"Like a swallow,
like a crane,
so I twitter;
I moan like a dove;
My eyes look wistfully to the heights;
Lord, I am oppressed, be my security.
Isaiah 38:14
Hezekiah, in his great physical pain and sickness,
and spiritual grief and anguish,
is moaning, and groaning, mourning and lamenting.
I think this might often be the case, for some people,
as they near death.
Nevertheless, he is looking up to Heaven to God,
for assistance, comfort, rest, help, and protection,
because he is helpless,
in his imminent, approaching death.
"What shall I say?
For He has spoken to me,
and He Himself has done it;
I will walk quietly all my years
because of the bitterness of my soul.
Isaiah 38:15
Hezekiah is confident that God will extend his life.
He is grateful,
and he realizes that no one,
but God could do this!
Hezekiah intends to live more soberly.
"Lord, by these things people live,
And in all these is the life of my spirit;
Restore me to health and let me live!
Isaiah 38:16
The fact that God could
( and would, extend Hezekiah's life)
was cause for hope.
"These things" were:
the promises of God.
They are the things,
( God's promises, in His Word, the Bible)
that we who are alive today,
can live by.
"Behold, for my own welfare I had great bitterness;
But You have kept my soul from the pit of nothingness,
For You have hurled all my sins behind Your back.
Isaiah 38:17
God showed Hezekiah great love,
by extending Hezekiah's life.
Believers today,
can be sure that,
nothing material,and no amount of fame,
position of power, etc. etc.
is lasting....
only God is!
We long to be with Him, and His love.
What is truly valuable,
is God's forgiving us of our sins,
and not bring them to mind....
a kind of 'throwing them behind His back'.
Done for Today.
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on May 29, 2024 11:01:07 GMT -5
"For Sheol cannot thank You,
Death cannot praise You;
Those who go down to the pit
cannot hope for Your faithfulness.
Isaiah 38:18
Hezekiah, seems to not have a complete view of the resurrection.
However, Hezekiah is correct,
that death ends the opportunity,
to praise God, as one of those,
who is living and alive, on earth.
For there is no mention of You in death;
In Sheol who will give You thanks?
Psalms 6:5
So Hezekiah, wanted to live, in order to praise God...
but what he seems to be missing, is that in Heaven
( after we have died)
and are alive in the eternal future,
we will praise Him even more in Heaven!
Praise the Lord!
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heavens!
Psalms 150:1
Hezekiah had yet another reason he felt frustrated
to die so young, and that was because he did not yet have an heir.
"It is the living who give thanks to You,
as I do today;
A father tells his sons
about Your faithfulness.
Isaiah 38:19
Again it seems like, Hezekiah, does not have a full grasp,
that death is not the end of living...
it is more like moving to a different location.
Of course, only those who love God, and are trusting in the Lord,
will go to Heaven,
where the praises and thanksgiving will continue...
But on the other hand, those in Hell will not.
Likewise, not all those living on earth,
are grateful, nor are they thankful, or giving God praise.
Hezekiah, is giving God praise that very day,
and his intention is,
to continue, to praise and thank God,
the rest of his remaining life.
Indeed, this is a good reminder to us, who are alive today!
I know, that I am sometimes, ungrateful, and bemoaning my lot
in life....grumbling about my aches and pains, and old age, etc.
Instead of thanking Jesus,
for all the many, many blessings,
He bestows daily, on my life.
So I needed this reminder!!
But not only that,
we are also, to teach our children to do the same!
Hezekiah plans to tell his children about God's faithfulness,
and we also, ought to instruct our children.
I need to make it a daily plan, to rehearse verbally,
or in my mind, and in prayer, about all the benefits,
that God has so graciously given me each day.
Done for Today
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Post by Cindy on May 31, 2024 10:33:16 GMT -5
Yes, at least that's how we would see it. But I suspect the Lord felt a bit sad about it too. I mean here the Lord was ready to give Hezekiah a new body that wasn't sick and would never die (because God is not bound by time as it's only experienced here, so we will get our new bodies right away; but even if we didn't, he would at the least get what they call his "intermediate body" which is like ours only doesn't get sick or die). So God was ready to bless Hezekiah with a body without sickness or pain of any kind, and a room in His house as His beloved son, the ability to see and talk to Jesus face to face, and all the amazing, inconceivable blessings of Heaven that God has prepared especially for us, but Hezekiah didn't want them "yet". Many of us don't. We tend to like it here on this sin filled earth with bodies that are wrecked by sin. We think the mansions here are wonderful, but they're really nothing more than shacks compared to what awaits us in heaven! I know the Lord totally understands, but I would think it may cause him some heartache that we don't really believe Him.
When I think of all that the Lord has prepared for me and is waiting to give me, I can't wait! I'm ready right now. I'm not afraid of any pain that might accompany whatever is going to kill this body, because I've already lived with more pain than most people can even imagine. The Lord has helped me deal with this pain, so I know He will help me deal with any other as well. At least with whatever pain there might be (and there might not be any at all!) I'll know for sure that it's very temporary. I can't wait to see Jesus and learn even more from Him. I can't wait to know the Father and the Holy Spirit even better too. Plus I'll get to see all the saints I've read about in His Word. I wonder if I will wind up being close friends with Hannah or maybe Elizabeth or Mary or one or more of the other women in His Word... Of course I'll also thankfully have some family and friends there from this life too, who I'm eager to see again. But mostly I'm eager to see Jesus.
Many years ago I realized that when I thought of the rapture, I thought of it more like an escape from the bad parts of this life. So I made it my prayer that the Lord would change my heart so that instead I would consider it like a blessing to finally be able to be with Jesus "in the flesh" so to speak. God honored my prayer and that's how I view heaven as well.
“However, as it is written: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him”—” (1 Corinthians 2:9)
Let it bring a smile to your face and encourage you!
 oops, sorry Barbara, I didn't mean to sidetrack your study! If you want, just PM me to let me know and I'll delete this! |
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on May 31, 2024 10:59:35 GMT -5
"The LORD is certain to save me;
So we will play my songs on stringed instruments
All the days of our life
at the house of the LORD."
Isaiah 38:20
~~~~~~~~~~~
Hezekiah rejoices over the special recovery,
kindness, and mercy, granted by the Lord.
He also praises God with songs of praise, at the temple,
the house of the Lord.
His conviction is so strong,
he wants to give God the glory,
not for a day, a month, or even a year,
but all of the rest of his life!
It is fairly easy these days,
to find a LOT to grumble about!
So many things near ( like in our own home and family)
and things as far away as other countries, decline of morals,
godliness etc.
However, some of us, forget to... NOT grumble,
but rather, to thank the Lord for all our many blessings.
Grumbling is a sin and an easy habit to get into.
Yet, God blesses us each and every day...
just the fact we have air to breath, is a blessing.
Now Isaiah had said,
"Have them take a cake of figs
and apply it to the boil,
so that he may recover."
Isaiah 38:21
Well, this remedy certainly seems like an odd cure,
for a plague or disease that is fatal!
And in fact, I have to wonder,
if sometimes that IS the point?
Even Jesus sometimes cured people,
with odd remedies, like,
with spit and mud!
23 And he took the blind man by the hand
and led him out of the village,
and when he had spit on his eyes
and laid his hands on him, he asked him,
“Do you see anything?
Mark 8:23
and
Having said these things,
he spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva.
Then he anointed the man's eyes with the mud.
John 9:6
There is a lot that could be said about the symbolism etc.
of these cures by our Lord Jesus....
but one thing that stands out to me is:
that God ( Jesus) is doing a 'miracle'
( in all these cases).
Can herbal remedies sometimes be effective, I think so,
but they usually are slower than medicine today.
On the other hand,
some medicines today,
and some herbals,
can be fatal,
But God's miracle cures,
that are done by God,
never are fatal,
and always accomplish the cure God intends!
Done for Today
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on May 31, 2024 11:18:02 GMT -5
Cindy!!! You are funny! 
No!
I would never want you to delete anything you write!
Silly! 
I totally agree we sometimes think an extension of life might be a blessing..
well,
if we are dying,
when we were 'young',
and have small children maybe....
But I did write like you
( kind of)
earlier in the study this:
It could also be,
that what God said first,
really was the best....
That the original time for Hezekiah to die,
was actually....
what would have been,
the best time for Hezekiah to die.
Like you, I am NOT anxious to stay here,
but rather, to be with Jesus, in Heaven.
Who would not want to be without:
pain, sorrow, sin, suffering,
cruelty, lies, war, evil, demons, Satan etc. etc.?
I think many people still think,
life will go back to 'normal'.
I am not sure there ever was 'normal',
because there was always sin, and all the rest.
But because there were times when things were
financially better,
and/or the hope
of climbing the ladder to success seemed doable...
and people were able to ignore a lot of evil,
with entertainment,
sports,
and buying stuff etc....
that was what seemed 'normal'...
Meanwhile, the devil continued to ramp up his plans of evil.
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Jun 2, 2024 8:32:38 GMT -5
Then Hezekiah had said,
"What is the sign
that I will go up to the house of the LORD?"
Isaiah 38:22
Hezekiah wanted to know what was the firm proof
that his health would be restored,
so that he could go to the house of the Lord.
It is noteworthy to me, that Hezekiah's
first, and main goal,
for living longer was to worship God.
Well, that was his goal,and I believe he really meant it...
but sin and temptation has a way, of overcoming,
the best of intentions.
At that time Merodach-baladan son of Baladan, king of Babylon,
sent letters and a gift to Hezekiah,
for he heard that he had been sick and had recovered.
Isaiah 39:1
This would be the time after Hezekiah recovered from his illness.
So right on its heels,
comes temptation.
But notice how it comes!
The temptation comes,
in the guise of king Merodach expressing his 'good will',
but it is crafty, flattering, and offering a 'gift' as 'bait'.
And Hezekiah fell for it!
Hezekiah was pleased,
and let them see all his treasure house,
the silver,
the gold,
the balsam oil,
the excellent olive oil,
his entire armory,
and everything that was found in his treasuries.
There was nothing in his house
nor in all his realm
that Hezekiah did not let them see.
Isaiah 39:2
Hezekiah was proud of all 'his' achievements,
and the prosperity that 'he'
had brought to 'his' kingdom
.
Pride goes before destruction,
And a haughty spirit before stumbling.
Proverbs 16:18
Thus he wanted to impress his guests,
by displaying to them, all the wealth,
of his kingdom.
But of course, wealth and prosperity
can be a major stumbling block,
that puffs a human up into pride and vanity.
Wealth can quickly lead a person into forgetting,
God, and His blessings,
and thinking, they have acquired
such a lofty status, by their own brilliance.
I think we have seen that wealth can be a trap,
throughout history,
and we see prosperity's disastrous effects still to this day!
So much for the false belief,
we are 'evolving' to a higher level of consciousness!
Sin has not gone anywhere
( well maybe sin has gone 'up' in strength).
Done for Today
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Jun 5, 2024 10:36:50 GMT -5
Then Isaiah the prophet
came to King Hezekiah and said to him,
"What did these men say,
and from where did they come to you?"
And Hezekiah said,
"They came to me from a far country, from Babylon."
Isaiah 39:3
It seems incredible that Hezekiah's faith weaken so quickly,
and his prideful temptation arose so fast,
and yet,
all we need to do is look at ourselves,
and we will see that this struggle,
is often a daily occurrence!
Do we take pride in our homes,
or our brand new car, etc.?
But! But! But! We might sputter!!!
Hezekiah was the king!!!.....
surely he could not have been so naive?
Did it not occur to him, that the Babylonian king,
used Hezekiah's sickness and recovery as an excuse,
to weasel in, and send flattering representatives,
to lure Hezekiah to join with Babylon against Assyria?
Hezekiah, tho king, was still just a human,
and perhaps kings,
might be even more susceptible to flattery
of their egos...
But Isaiah was NOT so susceptible!
It seems Isaiah waltzed in unannounced,
to point out the design and schemes of the Babylonians!
Hezekiah's reply, points to his being flattered...
he tried to make an excuse,
that they came all the way
from far far away,
just to see 'him'!!
Isaiah has been rather gentle so far,
and it looks like, Hezekiah has not really
understood the full ramifications,
so Isaiah asks this question next:
Then he said,
"What have they seen in your house?"
So Hezekiah answered,
"They have seen everything that is in my house;
there is nothing among my treasuries
that I have not let them see."
Isaiah 39:4
Well, Hezekiah was nothing, if not honest in his answer!
Furthermore,Hezekiah all most certainly knew,
that Isaiah was there because of God,
and tho Hezekiah, like all men,
fail from time to time,
he was nevertheless, a godly man.
Obviously, the prophet was not there,
like a modern day journalist,
seeking out 'Breaking News',
nor, was he like the court jester,
coming for a few laughs...
No it was something else.
But it does not seem,
Hezekiah, yet 'gets it'.
So therefore, unlike many ungodly kings, who would sputter,
and rage at a prophet,
Hezekiah showed Isaiah great respect.
Done for Today.
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Post by oliverwithatwist on Jun 5, 2024 13:57:11 GMT -5
I believe Hezekiah had a Joe Biden moment.
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Jun 5, 2024 16:51:58 GMT -5
Oliver!!!! 
Oh dear, I hadn't thought of that!
But you could be right.
I was trying to think of some other excuse,
like he had JUST recovered from a fatal sickness....
but then, there is your option.... |
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Jun 8, 2024 9:44:42 GMT -5
Isaiah then said to Hezekiah,
"Hear the word of the LORD of armies,
Isaiah 39:5
So what is about to be said,
is not human wisdom,
it is from the Lord.
Lest I forget,
(knowing what God is about to say,
is most likely not going to be good)
I might think, ( at first)
well.....so Hezekiah 'showed off',
but how bad was that.... really?
Really?
In truth, by doing so,
Hezekiah was essentially choosing
the Assyrians over God!
That IS a BIG problem!
How often do people today do the same.
They put all their hope in this candidate,
or that President,
to make life better,
easier,
more equal,
happier,
more prosperous,
etc. etc.
And, they may be born again Christians,
but fall into the same sin, as Hezekiah did.
Yep! It was NOT good news!
'Behold, the days are coming
when everything that is in your house,
and what your fathers have stored up to this day,
will be carried to Babylon;
nothing will be left,'
says the LORD.
Isaiah 39:6
~~~~~~~~`
I noticed the prophet said,
that God said:
The days are coming...
in other words,
they are not here yet!
In fact it won't be for over
a century later...
and fulfilled in exact detail!
This is a proof of Divine knowledge!
All the 'things' Hezekiah proudly showed off,
would be taken,
all the things he proudly boasted of,
and valued,
were nothing compared to God!
However, even though God is correct,
in punishing one man,
the leader/king,
God will also, punish the
nation.
An example of this,
was when David took a census and numbered the people:
Now again the anger of the Lord burned against Israel,
and it incited David against them to say,
“Go, number Israel and Judah.”
2 Samuel 24:1
The truth is that our sin,
often has an effect on others,
and it was so with Hezekiah.
And some of your sons who will come from you,
whom you will father, will be taken away,
and they will become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.'"
Isaiah 39:7
This is kind of good news/bad news combined,
because, up to this point, Hezekiah did not have any children/heirs.
Nevertheless, Hezekiah now knows, he will have children,
and that was the 'good' news.
But the fate of his grandchildren,
was NOT good news.
Done for Today
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Jun 10, 2024 10:39:07 GMT -5
Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah,
"The word of the LORD which you have spoken is good."
For he thought,
"For there will be peace and truth in my days."
Isaiah 39:8
This seems like a strange reaction.
On the one hand,
I suppose the fact that the Lord has spoken,
is truly good.
After all, God could have been silent.
Sometimes not knowing something, is maybe even harder,
than knowing.
But then, the verse goes on to say,
That Hezekiah thought, there will be peace and truth in his days.
It is not 'absolutely' clear to me,
if Hezekiah was looking for a bright spot,
a bit of good news, in the bad news,
or was he having a moment of selfishness,
and seemed to be unconcerned about his offspring?
It seems more likely to me, that Hezekiah was acknowledging, that God was just,
and maybe,
that God was being even better and more merciful,
than he ( Hezekiah) deserved.
Hezekiah did not fight against it, but called it good ( right, just).
Not unlike what Eli's reply was,
when Samuel told him,
what the Lord said:
So Samuel told him everything
and hid nothing from him.
And he said,
“It is the Lord; let Him do what seems good to Him.”
1 Samuel 3:18
King David had a similar reaction, I think
when Nathan rebukes him:
Then David said to Nathan,
“I have sinned against the Lord.”
2 Samuel 12:13
and also
Then his servants said to him,
“What is this thing that you have done?
While the child was alive, you fasted and wept;
but when the child died, you arose and ate food.”
He said, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept;
for I said, ‘Who knows, the Lord may be gracious to me,
that the child may live.’
But now he has died; why should I fast?
Can I bring him back again?
I will go to him, but he will not return to me.”
2 Samuel 12:21-23
After all, what use would there be to moan, groan, grumble,
be angry etc. when God has made His choice in the matter.
Submission is really all there is.
Done for Today
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Post by Cindy on Jun 10, 2024 11:16:32 GMT -5
I enjoyed reading your posts Barbara, thank you! You did a great job explaining this.
When I read about what Hezekiah did, it reminds me of myself at times. Like you said, he was showing off for the Babylonians. He wasn't saying, "Look at what the Lord has done" but instead, "Look at what I have" or "Look at what I've gotten or did for myself". He was showing off, just like we all tend to do at times. The problem is that everything we have, we have because the Lord has given it to us. That includes material things, including money, as well as our intellect, talents and abilities. So we really have nothing at all to brag about. Instead of showing off about how great we are, (which is a lie) we should instead show off how great the Lord our God is, which is the truth!
I don't think he was choosing the Babylonians over God though, because I don't see him doing or saying anything about them that would elevate them above God. Instead I think he was choosing himself over God, "Look at what I've gotten or did for myself". which is ultimately at the root of the vast majority of sins. You could be right though, I'll have to think of it awhile! |
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Jun 10, 2024 13:00:37 GMT -5
It seems to be that showing off ( whatever...material items, etc.)
with pride is often,( if not totally),
a human sin trait.
Even very young children will often or constantly say:
"Look at me, mom, see what 'I' can do!!!"
It is not that I think we should meanly yell at the little ones
for that,
but maybe, we could say something like:
Isn't it wonderful that God gave you that ability,
you could thank Him for making you ----- (fill in the blank).
When my children were little I did not think to say something like that.
I think I may have meant the Assyrians
( the Babylonians were much later right?
Hezekiah was perhaps showing off,
how much he could contribute to a war or protection etc.?
As well as, just showing off ......
'his' great kingdom....
'he' had built, acquired etc.,
and not giving all the credit to God.
But in doing so, he was at least momentarily, putting them first?
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Jun 10, 2024 13:03:01 GMT -5
Oh but....I forgot 
Thank you Cindy....as always,
for contributing!!!!!  |
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Post by Cindy on Jun 10, 2024 16:24:33 GMT -5
It seems to be that showing off ( whatever...material items, etc.)
with pride is often,( if not totally),
a human sin trait.
Even very young children will often or constantly say:
"Look at me, mom, see what 'I' can do!!!"
It is not that I think we should meanly yell at the little ones
for that,
but maybe, we could say something like:
Isn't it wonderful that God gave you that ability,
you could thank Him for making you ----- (fill in the blank).
When my children were little I did not think to say something like that.
I think I may have meant the Assyrians
( the Babylonians were much later right?
Hezekiah was perhaps showing off,
how much he could contribute to a war or protection etc.?
As well as, just showing off ......
'his' great kingdom....
'he' had built, acquired etc.,
and not giving all the credit to God.
But in doing so, he was at least momentarily, putting them first?
You did say Assyrians hon. I said Babylonians because that's what the scriptures say for this:
Isaiah 39:8
GB 1560 Thẽ came Isaiáh the Prophet unto King Hezekiáh, and said unto him, What said these men? and from whence came they to thee? And Hezekiáh said, They are come from a farre countrey unto me, from Babél. LSB 2022 Then Isaiah the prophet came to King Hezekiah and said to him, “What did these men say, and from where have they come to you?” And Hezekiah said, “They have come to me from a far country, from Babylon.”
I came back because I had finally realized what you meant by saying he was putting them before the Lord. And in thinking about it all I realized something else that we've talked about before and this is another example of it: That one of the times we're most likely to get hit by Satan or to succumb to temptation, is when we've been sick or in a lot of pain. Remember when we talked about this? That this is a time we have to be especially careful to keep our thoughts centered on the Lord and His Word, taking our other thoughts captive and replacing them with His Truth. Another time we tend to easily fall is right after a big victory because we tend to let our guard down then too. I don't know how many times I've fallen then! |
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oops, sorry Barbara, I didn't mean to sidetrack your study! If you want, just PM me to let me know and I'll delete this!
!!
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